100 years ago today, the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first men to stand at the geographic South Pole, beating Robert Falcon Scott by around 5 weeks. We have had frequent updates to our "infoscreen" in the dining room over the past couple of weeks showing the historic entries from both Amundsen and Scott's diaries and the contrast between the two. While Amundsen's team seemed to go from strength to strength, finally triumphing in the race, Scott's team seemed to have the worst of things thrown at them every day, ultimately ending tragically in the deaths of all party members. However, Scott's name is lauded as a hero due mainly to his difference of motives. Whereas Amundson was seemingly driven by a desire for speed, Scott was uncompromising in his dedication to science. Scott's expedition would frequently collect samples and perform various measurements along the way, and it's this legacy that sticks in a lot of our minds down here.
But anyway, some photos...
Field science season is in full swing. Pilot Doug Pearson does final checks on the Twin Otter before heading off, with Tamsin and Tom, to service an Automatic Weather Station on the Larson Ice Shelf.
The James Clark Ross arrives at Rothera bringing much needed supplies for the summer season. We all engaged in relief duties, shifting all sorts of cargo off the ship and into it's place on base.
And as a treat, the out going winter crew of 2011 were invited on board for a meal with the Captain.
